In the Heat of the Night
by Shadow Sanctuary
Summary: A yami that believes his existence is just a mere illusion. A millennium spirit drafted into hooking up Yugioh and his young counterpart. Bakura's hikari attempting to play matchmaker. And a shy little boy who just wants to be loved.
1. Wind and Rain

Chapter One: Wind and Rain

"I think, therefore I am."

~Rene Descartes

I have no proof of my existence. As dismal as this sounds, I must stand by my convictions. After all, I cannot prove that I am a living, breathing human being. No one can. People believe that they have a concept of reality and think that they are alive, but that is the extent of their philosophical natures. Automatically, denizens of earth assume that they are taking up space in this plane, that they have some sort of divine purpose to achieve. People take living for granted, relying too heavily on their sensory perceptions. Is that all we have in this life, our experiences accompanied by our five senses? Sight, touch, taste, scent sound…is that all that makes us who we are, everything that determines our existence?

A famous French philosopher once said, "I think, therefore I am." He was able to realize he was a real person by coming to the conclusion that, since he thinks, he must exist. Though he displays simple logic, his reasoning is still faulty. How can he prove that he even produces rational thoughts? After doubting that anything is actually valid and true (himself included) in this realm, he tries to state that he exists just because he philosophizes. Am I the only one who has trouble understanding his common sense, or am I too arrogant to grasp the depth of his words?

In the end, I find myself right back at the point in which I started from. Skeptically speaking, I hail all of Descartes previous observations of vacancy and his methods of extreme doubt. Life holds no concrete basis, no abstract or material substances, invented forms, or a solid ground on which to stand on. Like us, like all things, it is just a vague but empty concept that humans never could truly understand.

"Do you really think that, Spirit?"

Glancing up from my random essay, I saw my younger counterpart. Leaning over my shoulder, his purple orbs scanned my freshly written document. Little cherry colored lips mouthed what I wrote, cutting some of my statements short by paraphrasing them. Sighing heavy-heartedly, I tossed the notebook that contained my thoughts to the side. I knew that my hikari wouldn't be very receptive to my theories of non-existence, since he countered my views with his idealism.

Casually shrugging, I fingered one of my lengthy blond tresses. "These are just thoughts, Yugi. Don't take them too seriously."

"How can I not, though?"

"Easy, you can just disregard them."

He shook his head, sheltering his sad amethyst eyes from me. Above all else in life, my high school equivalent hated for me to see him showing any weakness. I could tell that he was hurt, but made no effort to bring my concerned ideas to his attention. The child, though petite in appearance and demure in personality, possessed a fierce passionate spirit. Not wanting to risk damaging his pride, I waited for him to continue the conversation.

Finding the courage to speak his mind, the dainty boy lifted his head in my direction. "It's not that simple, Yami. You can't tell me to just forget what I saw."

"Why not?" I asked, genuinely surprised that he told me what he was thinking so bluntly. "It's like I said, they're some arbitrary concepts that needed to be expelled from my head. You shouldn't think anything of them."

"Do you really think that?" he repeated, gazing at me with huge sad eyes.

"Well, I don't really know--"

"Yes or no?" inquired Yugi sharply, folding his arms in front of his chest. 

"Um, I honestly haven't got a clue--"

"Can't you just answer the question?"

My eyes widened upon hearing the unpleasant tone, astonished that my hikari was using such an acerbic tone of voice. Beside me he sat, unmoving and demanding a response to his question. The melancholy quality in his usually passive orbs vanished into cold determination, nailing me to where I was. Seeing that he wouldn't let me leave the premises without an honest answer, I began to pick at the edge of the couch with a ready nail.

"I'm sorry, Little One. I've had that philosophy for as long as I can remember."

"Why?" he asked, his voice a strained whine.

I shrugged sheepishly, not sure of how to answer him. He also had a high degree of sensitivity, too. Anything I would arrive at on this topic would more than likely make him feel bad, so I held my tongue.

Lacing his fingers between mine, he picked my hand up and pressed my palm against his cheek. "I'm real, see? Feel me right next to you?"

Without surveying my response first, I accidentally let my brutal thoughts slip from my lips. "It's just an obscure perception, and I--"

"Are probably being deceived by your senses, right?" sighed the purple-eyed adolescent, regarding me wistfully.

Catching the significance of what I vocalized, I tried to make a lame recovery. "Of course, this is an opinion of mine. You don't have to take it to heart or anything."

Watching his head drop between his shoulders, I knew I should have been quiet while I was ahead. I could tell that I verbalized something that wounded him, but I wasn't sure exactly what part of my speech had. Yugi was like that sometimes, extremely difficult to understand when he decided to have an emotional outburst. Placing the hand that he dropped on his shoulder, I spoke to him in a consoling whisper.

"Tell me what's wrong. I don't want you going through the rest of the day sad or upset."

"How could you?" he shot back, staring at me with watery magenta orbs.

Stunned into silence, I bit down on my lower lip. "What do you mean, Hikari?"

"Here I am, here I've _been_ for the past several months trying to show you there's more to life than some inane theory like that, and you don't even give me a second glance!" spouted the tri hair-colored child, going on the worst tirade I had ever seen him construct. "Do you just not give a care about what I say to you?"

"That's not true, not even a remotely fair assessment of--"

"That has got to be the weakest reply I've ever heard, Yami."

Drumming my fingers on my lap, I let my line of sight drift to the carpet below. "You're right, it is. I'm sorry."

"Like hell you are!" the amethyst-eyed child practically yelled at me, bouncing up quickly from his location on the couch. "You don't care about me, and you probably never will!"

"Yugi, wait!" I cried, standing up to prevent him from leaving the room. "I--"

My response was two seconds too late. The distressed boy had ran from the living area, his hands glued to his visage. Something had gone terribly bad, drastically wrong, but I didn't comprehend exactly what did. Why did he run from me like that? And just what triggered his excited speech? Worn out from the painful scene that just occurred, I fell back onto the piece of furniture I was on previously. Drowsy and in some desperate need of sleep, I stretched out over the cream colored cushions and closed my eyes. In the adjoining bed room, I could hear someone's stifled sobs disturbing the quietness of the house. 

"Maybe it's just the wind." I yawned sleepily, drawing my knees up to my chest. "After all, the weather does make sounds like that every once in a while."

Off in the distance, the sound of gentle sadness fell, like a soothing midsummer night's rainfall.


	2. Divine Intervention?

Chapter Two: Divine Intervention…?

/It's not fair! / cried the petite adolescent mournfully, tears running freely off of his face. _/Why can't he understand my feelings for him? I've tried so very hard to get him to notice me, but all he does is trap himself within the confines of absurd philosophy! How can I get someone like that to see my true intentions? /_

In the mists of his romantic despair, the purple-eyed child didn't even detect someone gathering him up in a warm embrace. Delicate fingers wiped away the rivers of sadness pouring down his cheeks, hooking stray strands of blond tresses behind his ears.

"You just take as much time as you need there." a soft-spoken voice soothed, the tone completely serene. "Let it all out now, no one is stopping you."

Uncovering his face with his tiny hands, the younger version of the King of Games peered at who was talking to him. One of his best friends, Ryou Bakura, gave him a loving smile as he cradled the upset child. Gentle green orbs viewed him in a loving manner, and the silvery-haired teenager continued to hold him affectionately. Grateful for the companionship, the magenta-eyed boy gripped his close comrade tightly. 

"Why doesn't he love me?" cried Yugi, depression weighing his normally vibrant features down.

Taken aback by his classmate's sob, Ryou's eyebrows went up. "Excuse me?"

"Yugioh!" sobbed the distraught adolescent, his face a mask of pain. "He doesn't even know I exist most of the time! Why can't he be more fond of me? I don't deserve this kind of cold, detached treatment!"

"You mean to tell me that you like the pharaoh?"

Nodding slowly, the small boy said, "Yes, but only the gods know why. "

"Why?"

Laughing softly, Yugi replied, "It's like I've stated before, only the gods know. I can't really say _why_ I do, I just do."

"That's how it all starts, though." added the green-eyed teen knowingly. "One minute, you see them as nothing more than a friend, the next you are ready to exchange vows with them. Feelings aren't really meant to be explained, anyways. They're matters of the heart that even the greatest minds in the world have trouble deciphering."

"I suppose so." agreed the tri hair colored adolescent, sniffling back his sadness. "I just wish he felt the same way I did."

"Doesn't he?"

"Nope, not one bit."

"Have you asked him yet?"

"What good does _that_ do? He'll only ramble on about his latest philosophical discoveries." said the purple-eyed boy bitterly, troubled with mixed emotions.

"Well, isn't it worth a try?" asked Ryou, brushing some more honey colored tresses out of his friend's eyes. 

"No. He won't listen to me."

"Defeatist language for someone who claims to really like Yami."

"But it's the truth!" protested the amethyst-eyed boy, feeling a fresh batch of tears form under his lids. "He'll never pay attention to me, and--"

"Never even know what you're saying now because you are refusing to give him the benefit of the doubt." finished the snowy-haired teen, mercifully putting an end to his classmate's depressing language. "Look, Yugi…you can either keep on dreaming about you and him being together, or you can confront him with your feelings. He probably doesn't even know why you left the living room in such a traumatized fashion, does he?"

"No, he doesn't."

"So why on earth would you accuse him of not caring about you when he doesn't even know you like him that way?"

"You're right." sighed Yugi, beginning to regret throwing such harsh words at Yami. "I need to trust him and myself to confront him with what I'm thinking. If I don't, then I deserve to be alone and by myself."

"See? That's the way to go about it all!" smiled Ryou encouragingly, helping his friend to his feet. "It's not that bad or hard at all!"

Inspired by his classmate's hopeful phrases, the magenta-eyed teen started for the door. Just as he was about to vanish into the hallway, he grinned and thanked his comrade for his speech.

"Anytime, Yugi." said the silvery-haired boy, pleased that he had a good influence over his peer. "and remember, it's not that tough to accomplish. Be confident, okay?"

"All right, I'll give him the most romantic speech ever!" promised the petite adolescent, taking off down the hall. "Thanks again!"

Smiling to himself, the green-eyed child shook his head and fell back onto the mattress. "The poor thing is going to take one look at his counterpart and turn tail."

"You mean like you did?" a harsh voice inquired, its quality a bit mocking.

Turning his head, Ryou caught a glimpse of Yami Bakura, who was leaning up against the frame of the door. His classic smirk was plastered on his mouth, making him appear scarier than what the silvery-haired child was used to seeing. Used to his Yami's snide remarks, the emerald-eyed child heaved a great sigh.

"I finally told you how I felt, didn't I?"

"True, very true indeed." agreed the millennium spirit, entering the room in a forbidding fashion. Finding a spare place on the bed, the old soul plopped himself next to his hikari. "It took you long enough to do it, though."

"So what? I didn't see you being brave by waltzing up to me and revealing your feelings, either." Ryou pointed out, trying to shut the spirit of the ring up. 

"That's because I didn't know what to say." admitted Bakura, the nasty edge in his accent gone. "I didn't want you to reject me or something like that."

"_Reject_ you?" said the snowy-haired adolescent incredulously, "I _love _you!" 

"Yeah, but _I _didn't know that."

"You do now."

"Uh-huh." replied Yami, snuggling up by his koi's arm. Tenderly, the school boy gave the spirit a long embrace. "It's going to take Yugi longer to tell his significant other than you told him it would. He's not that assertive."

"That's what I'm worried about." confessed the green-eyed adolescent, stroking the millennium spirit's hair. "It may take another five thousand years before those two make their move."

"What a shame." commented the old soul, enjoying the affection he was receiving from his hikari. "He'll never know what it's like to lose his virginity."

"Yami!" scolded Ryou, playfully swatting his counterpart. "That's flat-out disgusting!"

"Yep, I know. I've got more evil thoughts like that in my head if you want to know them."

"No, thank-you for offering to turn me into a twisted hentai, though. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated."

Throwing his head back against the mattress, the spirit of the ring laughed loudly. "You don't have to sound so tortured about it. My mind isn't _that_ full of tarnished subject matter." 

"I know how you operate, Spirit." retorted the high school teenager, raising a contradictory eyebrow. "Don't _dare _try to tell me any different. No one knows you better than I do."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Sometimes. It just depends on how much you try my patience."

"You're too touchy, you know. Loosen up."

"Can we just focus on the situation at hand?" questioned Ryou, worried about the progress his other friend would make with the ruler of all duels.

Yami shrugged indifferently, trying ever so hard not to fall asleep. "Okay, so how are you going to get them to fall in love and live happily ever after?"

"You're going to help me." 

"You can't be serious--" Seeing the expression of icy determination on his face, the millennium spirit sighed. "I'm not exactly the most ideal person to fulfill the role of matchmaker, Ryou."

"Says who?"

"Oh, come one! You know I'm not Mr. Sensitivity!"

"I don't _need _you to be like cupid for this one."

"Then what do you want me to do?" questioned the spirit of the ring, clearly confused.

"Just be yourself."

Grinning, the old soul pushed some of his silver tresses back. "If I get involved with them, I may end up destroying any chances they have of getting together."

"If you reveal to Yugioh how we got together, that may bring out his soft side. You can appeal to his logic because you understand how he thinks." explained the snowy-haired child, spelling out the details of his latest plan. "Yugi's millennium spirit is tough to crack, but I have full faith that he'll listen to you."

"Why me?" whined the spirit of the ring, aggravated with the task being presented to him. 

"All you have to do is appeal to the pharaoh's mind. Do what you do best: challenge him to a duel of word play. I'm sure he'll be up for a good philosophical debate."

"That's it?"

Ryou nodded, patting his Yami on the head. "That's all I want you to do."

"And what are you going to be doing while I try to convince Yugioh he should be thinking about a long-term relationship?"

Sitting upright on the bed, the silvery-haired teen stretched his arms out over his head. "I'm going to be helping Yugi out in the confidence department."

Bakura emitted a low whistle, getting off of the mattress himself. "You've got your work cut out for you there."

"Too true, but it will be worth it in the end, right?"

"If you say so." said the millennium spirit, exiting the room. "Let's hope you know what you're doing."

"I do." smiled Ryou with a surge of self-assurance. "I know they'll be very happy together once we get both of them to come around a bit."

"You know, all it's going to take is one royal slip-up and they could hate each other for eternity, Hikari. I suggest you watch every move you make."

Waving the old soul off, the green-eyed child replied, "Don't worry, I know true love when I see it. Besides, I have everything under control, which means no one will get hurt or have any regrets."

"Hope you're right, Ryou."

"Like I said, it'll all work out. Trust me on this one."

Shaking his head, the spirit of the ring got away while he could, before his young counterpart could make him do anything else. He took his time going down the corridor, trying to organize his thoughts before he got to the king of games. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to concentrate on what he was about to do, a strange sensation of unease kept eating away at his insides.

__

/Oh, what am I so concerned about? / Bakura chastised himself, gliding across the redwood floor soundlessly. _/When it comes to relationships and lovey-dovey circumstances, he always knows how to handle the situation. And he does it well, too. Still, though…Yugi and his yami are going to take a lot of work to bring together. I guess Ryou really does have everything in order, and there's no need to be prepared for failure. /_

There was no possible way that Yami Bakura would know how wrong he was, nor could he have foretold the messy events that were about to pass.


	3. Mr Sensitivity

/How did I get drafted into this?/ wondered the spirit of the ring, gazing down at the kindred soul spread out over the couch. Yami Yugi appeared to be fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in peaceful breaths. /I should leave, since I don't want to wake him. Besides, I've got better things to do than play matchmaker for a timid little boy and his yami. The spirit of the puzzle is well over 5,000 years old! Damn, one would think that he'd be able to pick up on straightforward human emotion by now!/  
  
Frustrated with the situation he was thrown into, the older version of Ryou turned away from the ruby-eyed individual in silent slumber.  
  
"Am I too boring for you, Bakura?" a deep voice asked, stopping the old violet-eyed soul in his tracks.  
  
Peering over his shoulder, the silvery haired person inquired, "How did you know I was here?"  
  
"With the magical properties of the millennium puzzle." Answered the ruler of all duels matter-of-factly, raking his fingertips through his tri- colored tresses. Stifling a yawn, he began to massage his sore upper arms. "You should understand that better than anyone else. I'm surprised at you, my friend."  
  
"Let's just say that I have more on my mind than the uses of the millennium items."  
  
"Really? What could be weighing on your thoughts more than total and complete power?"  
  
"World domination." Replied the snowy haired spirit, a wicked smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.  
  
Yami Yugi laughed, the sound a soft rumbling in his throat. "But of course. How rude of me to neglect to mention that."  
  
"Actually, I'm only jesting. Those divine trinkets are the least of my concerns at the moment."  
  
"That sounds convincing." Said the king of the Nile sarcastically, scratching the side of his neck.  
  
Blinking innocently, Bakura placed his hands over his heart in mock hurt. "How can you be so cruel? I tell you I've mended my ways, Pharaoh."  
  
The ruby-eyed individual raised a contradictory eyebrow, regarding the snowy-haired male suspiciously. "What, did you find God or Jesus or something of that nature?"  
  
"Yes, they've shown me the light, and I'm so in love with the Catholic religion that I think I want to be the next pope." Snapped the spirit of the ring, returning to his typically spiteful self.  
  
"Better brace yourselves, Rome, because Bakura is coming in for a crash landing."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Nothing, except I know that you're trying to conquer earth by using religious means."  
  
"I am not trying to take over the world!" protested the old amethyst-eyed soul, reaching a maximum level of irritation. "Why can't you just accept that?"  
  
"Because I know you." Yami Yugi stated plainly, forcing himself into an upright position. "You're probably up to your old tricks again, concocting an evil scheme to control the universe as we speak."  
  
Bakura shook his head, opposing his comrade's beliefs. "You know about as much as teenager sheltered in a science lab for most of his life."  
  
Shooting the snowy haired person a death glare, the spirit of the puzzle said, "I am not a dork. Don't you dare put me in the same category as Joey."  
  
"Ha! Even that idiotic smart mouth is more intelligent than you!" snorted the purple-eyed individual, enjoying the dark look that was claiming Yugioh's features.  
  
"Oh? And how does what you're saying have any genuine merit to it?"  
  
"He at least knows when someone is flirting with him relentlessly!" snickered the silvery haired soul, his lilac eyes shining contemptuously. "I mean, you don't even catch on to the fact that you have a secret admirer that wants to put you in more suggestive spots than has ever been illustrated in the Kama Sutra!"  
  
A profound shade of scarlet swelled across Yami Yugi's visage, the redness in his cheeks becoming quite a vivid contrast to his regularly pale complexion. "What did you just say?"  
  
Now it was Bakura's turn to roll his violet orbs. Sighing in absolute exasperation, the old soul stormed over to his friend and positioned his fingers on top of Yugioh's shoulders. Shaking him soundly, the spirit of the ring shouted, "Someone likes you, you idiot! Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!"  
  
"I understand that I'm pretty well deaf now." Grumbled the ruler of all duels, pressing his hands to his ears ruefully.  
  
"Oh, you're just impossibly dense!" remarked the white haired individual, letting go of his colleague in antipathy. "You pride yourself on being such a wonderful disciple of Locke and Hume, can comprehend obscure and difficult essays by the greatest philosophers of all time, are the best gamer I have ever met, and yet you're too damn dumb to see what's right in front of your nose!"  
  
"I don't get it, what are you rambling about?"  
  
"See, that's what I'm referring to!" cried Bakura, past the point of mild annoyance. Throwing a hand up in the ruby-eyed male's direction, the spirit of the ring said, "You aren't getting a word I'm telling you!"  
  
"Maybe if you improved your dialogue and didn't sound like a kindergartener with major A.D.D. and a slew of personality disorders, I would actually grasp the depth of your statements." Growled Yami Yugi through gritted teeth, eyeing the person beside himself coldly.  
  
"I give up!" yelled the white-haired person, throwing his arms up in the air. "If seeking the meaning to life is more important than finding the love of your life, than move to Tibet and quit bothering everyone with your backwards ideas pertaining to meditation!"  
  
With that much said; the malicious spirit of the ring stomped out of the living area and into the kitchen. All Yami Yugi could do was continue to sit where he was, perfectly perplexed by the behavior of those he had come into contact with that morning.  
  
"Well, that makes two people who are upset at me now." Sighed Yugioh, unsure of how or why everyone he conversed with turned out leaving his presence in the most emotional fashions. "Would someone please tell me what's going on here? I'd really love to know why I'm the bad guy all of a sudden."  
  
Tired of reflecting on the outlandish conduct his friends were portraying, the fatigued duelist changed his train of thought. /Maybe Bakura was on to something, though.that random comment he made pertaining to studying in a foreign country sounds awfully appealing. Monks in China and India love to endorse spirituality and enlightenment, so I could always expand my horizons a little./ an incredible revelation hit the ruby-eyed male, and a smile brightened his face in the process. /Why don't I just venture to those far-reaching landscapes and isolated places? I could spend as long as I wanted to discussing the views of prominent Eastern philosophers and enhance my mind! That way, I'll be surrounded by individuals who are interested in discovering the truth about all the major philosophical questions that has plagued mankind since the beginning of time! What makes us human? How do we know that we do, in fact, exist? Is God truly with us and all around us, or is He just a figment of a creative person's imagination? Is love and faith an intertwined concept with one stemming from the other, or are they separate innate ideas? What is actually real in life? Can we trust our senses completely, or are we constantly being deceived by sensory perception? Is it within our power to understand what perfection truly is, or is that divine knowledge that only the gods are privy to? These are all concepts that I'd love to work out in my head and reshape my opinion on, and I believe some religious teaching would do me some good./ Deeming that his departure to Asia would somehow aid him in his quest for wisdom, Yami Yugi decided that he would travel overseas to fulfill his destiny.  
  
"The truth is out there, and I'm going to find it." Declared the ruby-eyed spirit, walking out of the living room.  
  
Though he was ready to embark on an expansive journey to discover the purpose of his existence, he still didn't understand that his fate lied with a certain demure child that pined after him in total angst. 


	4. The Language of Love

Chapter Four: The Language of Love  
  
"I can't do this!" cried the magenta-eyed boy, squeezing his body into the very back of the closet.  
  
"Oh, come on, Yugi! You're acting worse than a little child who is clinging to his mommy's skirt!" scolded Ryou, trying to pry his classmate out of the tiny area with insulting remarks similar to that of his yami's.  
  
"Not so!" protested the adolescent with tri-colored hair, scowling at his friend. "How could you say something like that?"  
  
"Because you're cowering in the corner of your own closet with all the lights turned out."  
  
"And how does that make me a frightened toddler?"  
  
"I didn't accuse you of being a scared kid, I just illustrated your behavior." The silvery-haired teen pointed out, returning his comrade's dirty look with one of his own. "Don't twist my words into vile phrases."  
  
"You're yelling at me." Yugi said in a small, meek voice. "Be nice, okay?"  
  
Without realizing how loud he was being, the emerald-eyed boy shouted, "Why are you making everything so difficult? Just get up off your ass, tell Yugioh how you feel, and go on to live the rest of your life with him! Don't make things harder than they already are!"  
  
Shocked by his friend's brutally blunt speech, the magenta-eyed teen stared at him with huge frightened orbs. "Do you know how harsh that sounds, especially since you know full well that revealing secret emotions to your crush isn't really that easy?"  
  
"Sorry" apologized the snowy-haired child, understanding the hurt expression on Yugi's face. "I'm being totally insensitive to your cause."  
  
"Tell me something I don't know." the amethyst-eyed individual grumbled, resting his head on his knees. "You were being a royal bitch there for a few seconds."  
  
"Hey!" retorted Ryou good-naturedly, slightly surprised by his classmate's response. "I may just have to kick your ass for that!"  
  
Yugi smirked, the ruby flecks in his eyes shimmering wickedly as he spoke. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not my fault you were sounding like a pain in the ass."  
  
Sighing regretfully, the teen with white tresses straightened his clothes, idly remembering his millennium spirit's less-than-congenial attitude toward most people in general. "I realize as much. My yami's cordial disposition must be rubbing off on me."  
  
"Excuses, excuses." smiled Yugi, shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
"Like yours are any better than mine." Bakura's hikari shot back in a disgruntled way. "Whining rips at my nerves after a while."  
  
"Yikes." commented the counterpart of the king of games, lines of concern creasing his brow. "I guess the spirit of the ring's personality really is affecting you."  
  
Ryou shrugged, the gesture almost agreeing with Yugi's observation. "It's only natural that my yami's attitude will spark a personality change in me. Both of our dispositions have become intertwined in a short number of months, too."  
  
"Doesn't that scare you?" "Why should it?"  
  
"Well, aren't you afraid that you're losing your identity to someone else?"  
  
Shaking his head, the snowy-haired adolescent provided his friend with a gentle smile. "Not at all. Much to everyone's astonishment, I believe that my millennium spirit has enhanced my perspective, my demeanor, just everything in my life. Ordinarily, most people would think that he is not only a detrimental to himself, but to anyone who crosses his path. They don't know him, Yugi. No one sees him the way I do. When he's with me, Bakura reveals that there is more to him than what everyone else sees, what everyone else thinks they know."  
  
"How can you put such a volatile and hazardous individual on such a high pedestal?"  
  
"That's exactly what everyone fails to see. He's not a danger to a single soul. Matter of fact, he is the exact opposite of that. Yami is warm, caring, and just the most loving person I know." Yugi's eyes expanded to an abnormally large degree, spellbound by what he had just heard. Still trying to convince his classmate that Bakura possessed a good heart, Ryou related his love life to that of his comrade's. "Relationships require the bonding of two souls, Yugi. You can't ensorse complete individualism if you're trying to enter into a partnership." Bending down beside the youthful duelist, the adolescent with emerald eyes explained his point of view. "Pharaoh needs someone to grow and change with. We both know that philosophy is something that is very important to him, too. Everyone has pet peeves; you know those as well as I do. While he's pondering the latest theory of relativity, you're probably wishing he'd just shut up and tell you how much he loves you, am I right?"  
  
Smiling with a slight blush coloring his cheeks, the magenta-eyed child nodded his assent. "Yep, that's pretty much how it is."  
  
"Then if you truly believe the spirit of the puzzle is your one and only love, you have to listen to him. The key to success for all couples is communication. More specifically, one of your main objectives should be satisfying the wants and needs of your partner."  
  
"Even if that means letting Yugioh prattle on about Socrates until hell freezes over?" inquired the boy with tri-colored tresses, the look on his visage quite quizzical.  
  
Cracking an amused grin, the silvery-haired teen nodded. "I'm afraid so, Yugi." Suddenly, the mild-mannered smile on his face disappeared, and his features grew serious. "Besides, don't you at least owe that much to your yami? Part of loving him also means listening to him. Don't you understand that he'd do the same for you?"  
  
"No, he'd just keep on rambling about how entertaining it would be to sit on his ass and think his whole life is an illusion."  
  
Ryou giggled at his friend's attempt at humor, struggling to keep his composure. "Oh, please.no one's that bad when it comes to talking."  
  
"I see that you've never sat through any of his absent-minded debates where Yugioh mostly talks to himself?"  
  
"Yes I have."  
  
"Nu-uh!"  
  
"Remember that time when I asked him what novel he was reading, and your yami proceeded to inform me about Bertrand Russel's insight on tables?"  
  
"You mean the time where both of you were seated in the dining room, and I mistook your conversation for flirting?" asked Yugi, a picture of the event starting to form in his mind. "Is that what you're referring to?"  
  
"Yes," answered the green-eyed child, a rosy glow spreading over his face. "that's the occasion. I wondered why it took you several weeks to speak to me after that."  
  
"But you fell asleep 'listening' to his philosophical rant!" exclaimed the petite adolescent, waving his classmate off. "That doesn't count!"  
  
Exasperated and tired, Ryou tried to make his point once more. "Everyone has their quirks to put up with. The power of romance helps us to look past our significant other's shortcomings and see the soul that is inside."  
  
"That might take me a while." grumbled the boy with tri-colored hair, prodding at a loose nail. "It's hard to see what's there, sometimes."  
  
"Isn't Yami Yugi worth taking another look at, though?"  
  
"Of course he is!" exclaimed the violet-eyed child, defending his romantic interest passionately.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for? Get out there and tell him just how you feel!"  
  
"Alright!" stated Yugi, bounding up from his location on the floor. "I can do this!"  
  
"Sure you can!"  
  
"Of course I can!"  
  
"Then go on already!"  
  
"Okay, here I go! Look out, Spirit, 'cuz I'm ready to spring into action!" declared the magenta-eyed teen enthusiastically, going for the bedroom door. "I'll show him what I'm made of!"  
  
"Good luck!" Bakura's hikari said, grinning from ear-to-ear. "And go get him!"  
  
Flashing his friend a happy smile, the young duelist put his hand in the frame of the door. Though he had just promised Ryou that he was on his way to winning the heart of his yami, Yugi began to tremble violently. Ideas he had never thought of before overpowered his head, demanding his attention.  
  
/What if Yugioh rejects me?/ wondered the small boy fearfully; beads of sweat dotting his brow. /He could tell me off and break my soul apart at the same time.this is all a huge risk for me to take. If I hit on him and he doesn't like me that way, what then? I'll be crushed, I just know it!/  
  
The whole room was spinning wildly, and the adolescent with red, black, and blond hair began to feel sick. His stomach turned into one big knot, making it hard for the poor child to breathe.  
  
Sensing that something was horribly wrong with his comrade, Ryou asked, "Are you all right there, Yugi?"  
  
"I still can't do this!" the small teen whined, hanging his head in shame.  
  
Ryou slapped his forehead, at a loss for anything inspirational to say. "You can't be serious."  
  
"I am." said Yugi, his head still bowed between his shoulders in untold grief.  
  
"How is he ever going to know you like him if you back out now?"  
  
"I dunno.telepathy, maybe?"  
  
"Very funny." mumbled Ryou, clearly unamused by his friend's lack of bravery. "Who would have ever dreamed that the king of games was such a total coward?"  
  
"Hey!" cried the male with purple-red orbs, "Where do you get off calling me that?" Seeing the huffy glare on the silvery-haired boy's face made Yugi shift his weight to the opposite foot. Letting his vision drift to the carpet, the child with tri-colored hair whispered, "I'm sorry, but it's just not that easy. I've never done this before."  
  
Hooking his thumb and index finger around his friend's chin, the adolescent with snowy tresses lifted the shaken boy's head. Reluctant magenta orbs met the consoling gaze of brilliant green ones, suddenly humiliated by the behavior being exhibited.  
  
"I'm going to be completely honest with you, Yugi." stated the green-eyed teen calmly, continuing to hold his classmate's line of sight level with his. "You might crash and burn in asking Yugioh out. He could tell you that contemplating the origin of Descartes' 'evil genius' is more important than getting himself wrapped up with you." Hearing a little whimper escape his friend's throat, Ryou offered him a tender smile. "Then again, Pharaoh could also reveal to you overwhelming feelings of love and deep desire for you, too. Wouldn't it be better to say something to him instead of keeping quiet?"  
  
"Maybe." said Yugi, biting down on his lower lip. "But does it have to be done face-to-face?"  
  
"No, there are other ways of getting the message across to him than that."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"A phone call, possibly?"  
  
Shaking his head from side to side, the young counterpart of Yugioh opposed the thought. "No, that's still too direct of an approach. I want a way to tell him my emotions without being in his presence."  
  
"Hmmm." Ryou thought out loud, stroking the side of his visage. "That's a toughie, there. What about an E-mail?"  
  
"You mean a typed message sent via the PC?"  
  
"Yeah, would that work?"  
  
Again, the champion of the Duelist Kingdom tournament shook his head. "Naw, that's too impersonal. I want this to be special, something a little more intimate than a computer document."  
  
"Now you're just being difficult." complained Ryou, scratching his cheek. "I don't see what's so wrong with sending him a letter on the Internet."  
  
"That's it!" exclaimed the youth with tri-colored tresses, throwing his arms around his friend gratefully. "That's a perfect idea!"  
  
"What is?" asked the taller boy, knitting his brow together in puzzlement.  
  
"Oh, thank-you, Ryou! Thank-you so very much!"  
  
"Um, you're welcome, I guess." Responded the green-eyed adolescent, still clueless as to why his comrade had become so happy all of a sudden. "Feel free to fill me in on the details of your wild streak of elation, though. I have no earthly idea what's going on at the moment."  
  
"Huh? Ah, you just gave me a great idea, that's all!"  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yeah, I figured out that I could write my yami a letter and have it delivered to him!"  
  
"And that's any different from an E-mail?" inquired Ryou, the look on his face still reflecting the emotion of confusion.  
  
"Sure it is, since I'm the one creating the note by hand." Yugi replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "it shows more effort on my behalf if I write everything out than if I let the PC do all the work for me."  
  
"Alright, it's your love life." sighed the hikari of Bakura, giving his friend a slight shrug. "I'm not going to run it for you." Clapping his hands together, the silvery-haired male asked, "How do you want to go about this?"  
  
"Well, I was kinda hoping that you'd help me with the composition."  
  
Rolling his eyes towards the heavens, the emerald-eyed individual replied, "Yes, I expected as much." He raked a free hand through his long white tresses, twirling some of the strands around his fingers.  
  
"Does that mean you're gonna help me out?"  
  
Ryou observed his comrade's body language, the way the little duelist stood all teary-eyed in a begging manner. Taking in the glassy quality of his friend's orbs, the snowy-haired child sighed in defeat. He couldn't bear to see a close c comrade of his in such a depressing state, nor would he stand by and watch someone he cared about fall apart in front of him. Alas, that was the downfall of compassion: the burning desire to try to save everyone in the world at any cost.  
  
"Sure, why not." Said the emerald-eyed child in resignation.  
  
"Too cool!" exclaimed Yugi, delighted with the answer he received.  
  
"That's what friends are for, right?"  
  
"Right! I say we get started now!"  
  
"What do you want me to do?"  
  
"You know that calligraphy set you own?"  
  
"What about it?" asked Ryou, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at his classmate.  
  
"Well, I was thinking you could-"  
  
"Write the note out for you, too?" finished the snowy-haired teen, practically reading the magenta-eyed child's mind.  
  
"Pretty please?" begged Yugi, his eyes becoming big and watery once more. "Everyone knows that you have the best penmanship in school!"  
  
"I thought you were supposed to write the letter, not me!" protested the silvery-haired adolescent, folding his arms in front of himself.  
  
"I will!" promised the boy with tri-colored tresses. "Just do that much for me, okay? I'm gonna tell you what it should have in it and everything -" "I guess I could." interrupted Ryou, nodding his assent grudgingly. "It certainly wouldn't hurt anything."  
  
"And maybe I could get you to place the note in Yugioh's binder, too?"  
  
"You're pushing it there, Yugi." warned the snowy-haired teen, heading out of his friend's bedroom.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I need my calligraphy pens and paper, don't I?" called Ryou over his shoulder, resting his hand on the frame of the door. "You coming?"  
  
"I can wait here for you to return." offered Yugioh's hikari, coming out of the closet. Finding a nearby chair, he seated himself behind an ornate desk made of wood and pulled some paper and a pencil out of an adjacent drawer. "In the meantime, I'm going to be sketching out a draft for my first love letter."  
  
"But don't you need to show me where your yami's bedroom is?" questioned the hikari of Bakura, tapping his fingetips against the wooden beams that made up the entrance to the living area.  
  
"You mean you're actually going to give him the letter, too?" questioned Yugi animatedly, the ruby flecks in his eyes sparkling radiantly.  
  
"So show me his room already." commanded Ryou, spreading his arm out into the hallway. "Lead the way."  
  
"This is great!" cried the petite adolescent; leaping into the corridor outside of the place they were in. his hand gripped his comrade's wrist tightly, pulling the surprised teenager behind him. "Everything is finally falling into place! Me and Yugioh are gonna get engaged, then married, have a bunch of cute adopted kids, and live in a wonderfully happy home!"  
  
"Don't get too ahead of yourself!" warned the emerald-eyed male, almost tripping in the hallway because he was having trouble keeping up with his classmate's enthusiastic pace. "You still haven't written that letter yet and you don't know how he feels about you!"  
  
"With you by my side helping me, how can I go wrong?" laughed Yugi, dragging his poor friend behind him in a hurried fashion.  
  
"Anything can turn out bad." mumbled Ryou, jumping over a stack of freshly folded clothes by the laundry space. "Especially when our millennium spirits are involved in romantic circumstances. The language of love isn't exactly something they're very versed in."  
  
Though the little hikari had no idea how right he was, he had no foreknowledge of the disastrous dialogue that had already erupted between Bakura and Pharaoh. Not only that, but there was no possible way he could have known that things were about to get much worse in the romantic tragedy concerning Yami Yugi and his petite dueling prodigy. 


	5. Just You and I

Chapter Five: Just You and I ~a love letter to Yami  
  
Dear Sweet Sanctuary,  
  
To my love My precious Turtle dove Someone gracious Truly divine Aishiteru Please be mine Let me love you My everything You so much Sweet harp strings Bend to your touch In the flames Lies my needs Call my name Your voice I'll heed You, only you Standing over there Oh I knew We'd make a good pair Just you and I Riding in the sky Through rainbows we'll fly As the clouds drift by A pierrot's tear Drips from my cheek Wish you were here This shiny streak Turns to dust Wipe it away It's you I trust With you I'll lay When dreams may come To me in sleep This song I'll hum My soul to keep For you, only you To treasure, cherish The breath of life blew I'll never perish Safe I am now In you sweet grasp Do not allow Yourself to break that clasp Let my direction Lead the way Be you resurrection So we can stay Together still Just you and I As is our will Where we shall lie In green meadows vast With stars at night Affection lasts When it feels right Tuck me in bed With a lullaby It's like I said Just you and I Alone at last In silent slumber Forget the past My striking wonder Here to reside Within hearts and minds Death we've defied Romance we'll find Rest by my side We'll never die Riding time's tides Just you and I  
  
With Peace, Love, and Happiness,  
  
Your Secret Admirer 


End file.
